[4][5] Joseph D. Rosenbaum, a 36-year-old unarmed Kenosha man, ran at Rittenhouse and grabbed the barrel of his rifle[6] after throwing a plastic shopping bag of clothing at him.

[c] It received a national and international online response,[35] attracting a larger number of armed men than were present at other protests in Wisconsin that summer.

[41] Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian and County Sheriff David Beth expressed their disapproval of armed civilians patrolling the streets,[42] while some Wisconsin police officers were seen in a video giving them water and heard saying, "We appreciate you guys, we really do.

[31][44][45] Prior to the Kenosha unrest, he had participated in local police cadet programs and expressed support on social media for the Blue Lives Matter movement and law enforcement.

[60][61] Two hours after the 8:00 pm curfew had begun, police began to drive the protesters south out of Civic Center Park using BearCat armored personnel carriers.

[68] In the hours leading up to the shooting, Rittenhouse appeared in multiple videos taken by protesters and bystanders and was interviewed twice: first by a livestreamer at the car dealership where he and a number of other armed men had stationed themselves, second by Richie McGinniss, a reporter for The Daily Caller.

[83][84][12][85] The bullets perforated Rosenbaum's heart, aorta, pulmonary artery and right lung, fractured his pelvis, and caused minor wounds to his left thigh and forehead.

[86][87] McGinniss, who had been standing fifteen feet away and felt one of the bullets whiz by his leg, checked himself before he began to administer first aid to Rosenbaum and told Rittenhouse to call 911.

[88] Rittenhouse stood over McGinniss for half of a minute before fleeing,[31] and was heard saying "I just killed somebody" on his cell phone to his friend Dominick Black as he sprinted out of the parking lot where he had shot Rosenbaum.

[31][94][95] Another protester, Anthony Huber, struck Rittenhouse's left shoulder, neck and head with a skateboard as the pair struggled for control of the gun.

[99][101] In 2024, local reporting found that Grosskreutz actually had a valid concealed carry permit at the time but had believed contrary information from police and prosecutors.

[80][107] When asked at a press conference why Rittenhouse was not stopped, Kenosha Sheriff David Beth said, "In situations that are high-stress, you have such incredible tunnel vision" and implied officers may not have realized he had been involved in the shooting.

[121][122] On January 22, 2021, the conditions of Rittenhouse's release were changed so that he could not consume alcohol, have access to firearms, or associate with persons or groups known to be a threat to others based on race or religion.

[150] At a hearing on September 17, 2021, Schroeder denied prosecutors' requests to admit Rittenhouse's meeting with Proud Boys members and a previous fight that he was involved in as evidence in the case, finding that the incidents were "too dissimilar" to the shooting.

[154] Schroeder ordered that the men shot by Rittenhouse could not be referred to as victims, but determined they could be described as arsonists or looters if the defense was able to establish evidence that Rosenbaum, Huber, or Grosskreutz were engaged in those activities that night.

[155][156] Legal experts stated that saying the term "victim" can appear prejudicial in a court of law, which would heavily influence a jury by presupposing who is innocent and guilty.

[101] On November 10, prosecution witness Ryan Balch, a military veteran who also carried an AR-style rifle that night, recalled Rosenbaum shouting "If I catch any of you guys alone tonight I'm going to fucking kill you!

[166] Binger's mention of video footage showing Rittenhouse expressing a willingness to shoot suspected shoplifters angered Schroeder, who had ruled the material was neither related nor allowed at trial.

[175][176][177] Black was charged with two felony counts of intentionally giving a dangerous weapon to a minor, resulting in death, for supplying Rittenhouse with the rifle used to kill Rosenbaum and Huber.

[179] In January 2022, as part of a plea deal in which prosecutors agreed to drop the two felony charges, Black pleaded no contest to contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

[183] In September 2022, while out on bail, Ziminski and his wife Kelly were both charged with several felonies for allegedly attempting to rob a Kenosha man at knifepoint in August.

[185] A lawsuit was filed in September 2020 by plaintiffs including the partner of Anthony Huber, seeking damages from Rittenhouse, Facebook, the far-right group Boogaloo Bois, and the Kenosha Guard militia and its commander.

[186] On January 4, 2021, Huber's parents and Gaige Grosskreutz each filed $10 million claim notices, against both the city and county, alleging negligence due to inaction in protecting their rights.

[190][191] Rittenhouse sought to have the lawsuit dismissed because it was served to his sister rather than him,[192] while the Kenosha government argued the suit "failed to properly allege federal civil rights claims".

[204] NBC News obtained a Department of Homeland Security internal document and reported that it directed federal law enforcement officials to make specific statements regarding Rittenhouse, such as noting that he "took his rifle to the scene of the rioting to help defend small business owners" and that "[Rittenhouse] is innocent until proven guilty and deserves a fair trial based on all the facts, not just the ones that support a certain narrative.

[209] An online merchandise store run by Rittenhouse's family to fundraise for legal expenses was deplatformed twice, once by an unnamed vendor and again by Printify, the latter of whom stated "we don't want to be affiliated with a story that's involved in such a complex, controversial and ongoing case.

[216] Ted Cruz, U.S. senator from Texas, and Chris Christie, former governor of New Jersey, also praised the ruling, with the latter saying that the verdict "renews our faith in the jury system".

[217][218] On September 30, 2020, a month after the shootings, then-presidential candidate Joe Biden shared a post on Twitter criticizing then-president Donald Trump for not condemning white supremacists that included a video with an image of Rittenhouse.

"[219] The White House issued a written statement saying "While the verdict in Kenosha will leave many Americans feeling angry and concerned, myself included, we must acknowledge that the jury has spoken[...].

"[224] Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot acknowledged the verdict and added that "no one should ever take the law into their own hands, or attempt to make themselves the judge, jury, and executioner.